It is now time to move the debate on to fixing the student support system in Scotland.
Showing just some of the options for bridging the estimated £155m to £202m gap between Scottish and English institutions (see note 1), NUS Scotland’s policy options show that the developing consensus against tuition fees is right, and that any gap is clearly manageable and bridgeable.
Looking at university funding as a whole shows an estimated £46.7m per year benefit to Scotland in research funds compared to England, reducing any gap by this amount. Providing 15,000 FTE part-time fees for students would fully fund part-time places for the first time in Scotland’s history. This would end the current injustice of the poorest part-time students being forced to pay fees up-front while full-time Scottish students do not. This would provide £19.3m additional income for universities’ teaching funds from elsewhere in the education budget.
Encouraging an additional 5000 advanced entry (fast-track) degrees will reduce the wasteful overlap between school, college and university. It would allow college students who have studied HNC and HND at college to take their rightful place at 2nd or 3rd year at university, rather than having to start from scratch at 1st year – reducing what is often a five or six year degree for some college students down to four years. It would also allow some 6th year pupils to enter university at 2nd year, reducing debt and saving public money. This would reduce wasted 1st year and 2nd year university places, worth up to £49m per year by the end of the next parliament, and could improve widening access from college to university.
Setting widening access targets for every institution combined with a new Scottish Social Mobility Unit could herald a widening access revolution in Scotland. Reducing drop out to English levels could save over 400 1st year places worth over £3m per year.
This is without looking at increasing fees from rest of UK students – something NUS Scotland opposes – worth between £40m - £72m per year, and without considering the £35m of back-office efficiencies and additional income outlined in the Technical Working Group paper on the funding gap.
Liam Burns, President of NUS Scotland, said: “The debate on higher education has been dominated by tuition fees for too long. Our proposals show that you can both improve higher education for students and make savings at the same time.
"Ending the injustice of part-time student paying fees when full-time don't, more accelerated degrees saving public money, student time and debt, and reducing Scotland's poor record of drop out would provide over £70m in savings and widen access.
"Ahead of May’s elections we’ll be calling on all parties to commit to ruling out tuition fees, maintaining graduate numbers and improving student support. That way we can protect education in Scotland, ensuring we invest in our people and invest in our future."